HOMESTEAD, Fla. — Dale Earnhardt Jr. completed one of the best seasons of his career with a strong third-place run in Sunday's NASCAR season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Earnhardt, who led 28 laps, achieved a career-best in top-10 finishes with 22. He finished fifth in the Sprint Cup Series point standings, which was tied for the second-best finish of his career.

"Really happy to run as well as we have this season," he said afterward. "This has been one of the best years I've had, certainly the best year I've had working with Hendrick (Motorsports). Just want to give my team a lot of credit.

"Hoping next year we continue that trend and that trajectory and get a shot at winning a championship. I think we can do it."

There's no reason Earnhardt's team couldn't. It operates out of the same race shop as Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson and uses the same cars and motors. Earnhardt went winless for the fifth time in seven years this season, but team owner Rick Hendrick said the driver's confidence "is at an all-time high."

"You can see it in his step," Hendrick said. "He told me tonight that he can't wait to go to Daytona. I think he's going to be a threat for the championship next year."

Dale Earnhardt Jr. and girlfriend Amy Reimann attend the NASCAR Evening Series at Charlie Palmer Steak, part of the Champion's Week events that mark the end of the season.
Chris Graythen, Getty Images for NASCAR

Champion's Week in Las Vegas allows drivers to enjoy lighter moments and interact with fans. Earnhardt and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jeff Gordon did just that at After the Lap.
Jeff Bottari, Getty Images for NASCAR

Earnhardt spoke to students at Piper High School in Kansas City, Kan., one of five speaking engagements organized by sponsor National Guard this season. It's also another sign of change for the introverted star. "If it were up to me, I wouldn’t have OK’d this last year. I’d be like, ‘Are you crazy? I ain’t talking to all them kids,’ " he said.
Mike Barrett, National Guard

Earnhardt announced Oct. 11 he would sit out the next two races while he recovered from his second concussion in a six-week span. He admitted he raced at less than peak mental acuity, hoping his reflexes would hold up against dangerous conditions while driving nearly 200 mph.
Chris Graythen, Getty Images

Shown here celebrating with then-crew chief Tony Eury Jr. in 2008, Earnhardt parted ways with his cousin professionally this year, reshaping JR Motorsports. Eury had served as Danica Patrick's Nationwide crew chief since she joined the circuit in 2010.
John Raoux, AP

Earnhardt made the Chase for the Sprint Cup for the fifth time this season. His best points finish since NASCAR went to the Chase format in 2004 is fifth -- in 2004 and 2006.
Tyler Barrick, Getty Images

Redskins owner Dan Snyder walks with Earnhardt before a preseason game with the Buccaneers on Aug. 29. Earnhardt had crashed during a tire test session in Kansas the same day, suffering the first of two concussions.
Nick Wass, AP

The driver of the No. 88 Chevrolet took over the Sprint Cup points lead July 29 after finishing fourth at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. It marked the first time Earnhardt had led the points in nearly eight years.
Jerry Markland, Getty Images for NASCAR

Many people in the sport thought the breakthrough was the beginning of a second-half season resurgence. Earnhardt said he thought the win 'would be all relief, but it wasn't relief at all. It was all excitement.'
Jared C. Tilton, Getty Images

In addition to bringing a trophy to Hendrick Motorsports with his first win in four years, Earnhardt got to ring the 'victory bell.' "I'm going to ring that damn thing as hard as I can," he said. "... I like seeing the smiles on everybody else's face. It's so awesome to see how many other people it affects. It feels good to be able to bring those guys what they deserve."
Davis Turner for USA TODAY Sports

Steve Letarte, left, became Earnhardt's crew chief at the beginning of the 2011 season. When they won, Letarte said: "... We are not crazy. What we have been trying to do has been working."
Brian Czobat, AP

Earnhardt first stepped out with girlfriend Amy Reimann at the 2011 NASCAR awards ceremony. He also brought her to the White House in April -- when President Obama honored Sprint Cup champion Tony Stewart -- and kissed her in victory lane at Michigan.
Mark Wilson, Getty Images

For Earnhardt, 38, this season has been about personal growth. "I was just really nervous about what people’s perceptions would be, so I held a
lot of stuff in and just kept a lot of stuff private for a long time," he said.
Daniel Shirey, US Presswire

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Earnhardt, who said he didn't want the season to end, led four separate times in Sunday's Ford EcoBoost 400. He would have finished higher in the point standings if not for a blown engine in the Chase opener at Chicagoland Speedway, which left him 35th.

Had he finished in the top 10 there, he would have ended the season third in the standings but still well behind Johnson.

"Probably wouldn't have made a big difference," he said. "We didn't win enough races in the regular season — we didn't win any. That was the difference. When we started the Chase, we were already in the hole a little bit to Matt. It's too competitive."

Though Earnhardt has been more competitive in the Chase than in the regular season, he's not sure why. Earnhardt said he asked crew chief Steve Letarte and everyone on the team "at least once or twice what we're doing different."

The answer? Nothing.

"I just think the 88 team has really stepped it up," he said. "Each year, we've gotten better. It's easy to forget about all this, but when me and Steve started working together, we were working our guts out to finish in the top 10. Each year it's kind of gotten easier to run a little better."